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Tuesday, January 13, 2009

RARE FACTS!

Lewis Carrol wrote his books while standing up

The word 'terrier' comes from the Latin root 'terra', earth The Kerry Blue is from County Kerry, Ireland

It is forbidden for aircraft to fly over the Taj Mahal.

The dumbest domesticated animal is the turkey

Your tongue is the only muscle in your body that is attached at only one end

Just 0.546% of men in the U.S. are named Scott.

Disney World in Orlando, Florida covers 30,500 acres (46 square miles), making it twice the size of the island of Manhattan, New York.

A wind with a speed of 74 miles or more is designated a hurricane.

Diamond is the hardest naturally occurring substance, and is also one of the most valuable natural substances. Diamonds are crystals formed almost entirely of carbon. Because of its hardness, the diamond is the most enduring of all gemstones. They are among the most costly jewels in the world, partly because they are rare, Only four important diamond fields have been found - in Africa, South America, India, and the Soviet Union.

A face-off in hockey used to be called a 'puck-off,' but was soon changed for obvious reasons

A dime has 118 ridges around the edge

Sir Barton won the Belmont Stakes in New York in 1919, to become the first horse to capture the Triple Crown. This was the first time that the Belmont Stakes had been run as part of thoroughbred racing's most prestigious trio of events. Sir Barton had already won the first two jewels of the Triple Crown -- the Kentucky Derby in Louisville, Kentucky and the Preakness Stakes in Maryland.

The 1st Super Bowl was played in 1967. The Green Bay Packers of the National Football League defeated the Kansas City Chiefs of the American Football League, 35-to-10.

The human body has enough fat to produce 7 bars of soap.

Ancient Latin and Aramaic are related to every modern language, but not to one another.

Percentage of Africa that is wilderness--28% Percentage of North America that is wilderness--38%

The world's most widely spoken language is the Mandarin dialect of Chinese, with 500 million speakers.

On average, 13 people a year die from vending machines falling on them

In 1933, Mickey Mouse received 800,000 fan letters.

Americans eat 18 billion hot dogs a year

The Icelandic Parliament is the oldest surviving parliament in the world It was founded in AD 930

Cinderella's slippers were originally made out of fur. The story was changed in the 1600s by a translator. It was the left shoe that Aschenputtel (Cinderella) lost at the stairway, when the prince tried to follow her.

The average American consumes enough caffeine in one year to kill a horse

Cicadas have their hearing organs in their stomachs, at the base of the abdomen Crickets have their hearing organs in their knees, or, more precisely, in the oval slit of their forelegs

The average desktop computer contains 5-10 times more computing power than was used to land a man on the moon

According to scientists, gold exists on Mars, Mercury and Venus

Comedian/actor Billy Crystal portrayed Jodie Dallas, the first openly gay main character on network television on ABC's Soap, which aired from 1977 to 1981.

A law passed in Nebraska in 1912 really set down some hard rules of the road Drivers in the country at night were required to stop every 150 yards, send up a skyrocket, then wait eight minutes for the road to clear before proceeding cautiously, all the while blowing their horn and shooting off flares

The world's most popular car color is red

Al Capone's business card said he was a used furniture dealer

The two robbers crucified next to Jesus were named Dismas and Gestas.

The ridges on the sides of coins are called reeding or milling.

A typical American eats 28 pigs in his/her lifetime.

The world's most popular car color is red

Eddie Arcaro, one of the greatest jockeys in horse race history, rode 250 losers before he won his first race. Ultimately, Arcaro won 4,779 races - including five Derby winners, six in the Preakness, and six in the Belmont Stakes, on such famous horses as Whirlaway, Citation, and Kelso.

The main library at Indiana University sinks over an inch every year because when it was built, engineers failed to take into account the weight of all the books that would occupy the building

In 1924, an eighteen-foot-high candle weighing three tons was erected in honor of the singer, Enrico Caruso, in Naples

The word 'gazelle' comes from the Arabian term for 'affectionate,' and is believed to be inspired by the creature's large, gentle eyes

Quito in Ecuador, South America, is said to have the most pleasant climate in the world. It is called the 'Land of Eternal Spring.' The temperature rarely drops below 46 degrees Fahrenheit during the night, or exceed 72 degrees Fahrenheit during the day.

A chameleon's tongue is twice the length of its body.

The albatross can sleep while in flight

America's first nudist organization was founded in 1929, by 3 men.

Rudyard Kipling only used black ink

Apples are more effective at keeping people awake in the morning than caffeine

The 1st inductees to the Country Music Hall of Fame in 1961 were Jimmie Rodgers, Fred Rose and Hank Williams were.

The characters Bert and Ernie on Sesame Street were named after Bert the cop and Ernie the taxi driver in Frank Capra's Its A Wonderful Life

Goulash, a beef soup, originated in Hungary in the 9th century AD.

It's estimated that you'll eat 35,000 cookies in your lifetime

The Japanese, Santa Claus is a woman

The Academy Award statue is named after a librarian's uncle One day Margaret Herrick, librarian for the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, remarked that the statue looked like her Uncle Oscar--the name stuck

Johanna Sebastian Bach wrote an operetta about coffee

The term 'the whole 9 yards' came from WW II fighter pilots in the Pacific When arming their airplanes on the gourd, the 50 caliber machine gun ammo belts measured exactly 27 feet, before being loaded into the fuselage If the pilots fired all their ammo at a target, it got 'the whole 9 yards'

None of the passengers of the Mayflower had middle names

At 4,145 miles, the Nile River is the longest in the world.

The bagpipe was originally made from the whole skin of a dead sheep.

The Republic of Israel was established April 23, 1948.

The first losing candidate in a US presidential election was Thomas Jefferson. He lost to John Adams. George Washington had been unopposed.

Kermit the Frog is left-handed

William Moulton Marston, creator of Wonder Woman, also invented the polygraph

The 1st 20 African slaves were brought to the US, to the colony of Virginia in 1619, by a Dutch ship.

Albert Einstein was offered the presidency of Israel in 1952

Natural gas has no odor. The smell is added artificially so that leaks can be detected.

Walt Disney's first cartoon character was called Oswald the Rabbit.

The 1st nuclear-powered submarine, the Nautilus, commissioned by the United States Navy in 1954, made her maiden voyage on Jan. 17, 1955.

Sideburns were named after General Ambrose Everett Burnside�inventor of the breech-loading rifle

The world' termites outweight the world's humans 10 to 1

Enough beer is poured every Saturday across America to fill the Orange Bowl

Roses cut in the afternoon last longer than ones cut in the morning

Each unit on the Richter Scale is equivalent to a power factor of about 32. So a 6 is 32 times more powerful than a 5!

The praying mantis is the only animal on Earth with only one ear

After six months at the off-Broadway New York Shakespeare Festival Theater, Hair opened at the Biltmore Theater in New York, in 1968. It was the first rock-musical to play on the Great White Way.

To avoid being eaten by birds, some caterpillars disguise themselves to look like bird droppings.

Bambi was originally published in 1929 in German

Golfers use an estimated $800 million worth of golf balls annually.

The first footprints at Grauman's Chinese Theater (now Mann's), were made by Norma Talmadge in 1927 Legend has it that she accidentally stepped in wet concrete outside the building Since then, over 180 stars have been immortalized, along with their hands and feet and even noses (Jimmy Durante)

The avocado has the most calories of any fruit

Toward the end of the fifteenth century, men's shoes had a square tip, like a duck's beak, a fashion launched by Charles VIII of France to hide the imperfection of one of his feet, which had six toes

During the time of Peter the Great, any Russian man who had a beard was required to pay a special tax

The average bed is home to over 6 billion dust mites

A cucumber is 96% water.

There is no synonym for 'thesaurus'

The largest movie theater in the world, Radio City Music Hall in New York City, opened in December, 1932. It originally had 5,945 seats

On average, 13 people a year die from vending machines falling on them

Benjamin Franklin gave guitar lessons

74% of American women say their biggest dating turn-off is foul language

Slugs have four noses.

Of the 262 men who have held the title of pope, 33 have died by violence.

A person swallows approx 295 times while eating dinner

The most commonly used word in English conversation is 'I'

France has the highest per capita consumption of cheese

Granny's full name on The Beverly Hillbillies was Daisy Moses

Of the 262 men who have held the title of pope, 33 have died by violence.

About 10% of the world's population is left-handed.

The Gregorian calendar was introduced by Pope Gregory in 1582 AD, and was adopted by Great Britain and the English colonies in 1752.

A thick glass more likely to crack if hot water is poured onto it than a thin one

Nabisco's 'Oreo's' are the world's best-selling brand of cookie at a rate of 6 billion sold each year. The first Oreo was sold in 1912.

The characters of Homer, Marge, Lisa, and Maggie were given the same first names as Simpsons creator Matt Groening's real-life father, mother, and two sisters.

By age 60, most people have lost half their taste buds

The three primary colors are red, yellow and blue. The three secondary colors are green, orange and purple.

A giraffe's blood pressure is at least twice that of a healthy man

If you add up the numbers 1-100 consecutively (1+2+3+4+5 etc) the total is 5050.

The Cullinan Diamond is the largest gem-quality diamond ever discovered. Found in 1905, the original 3,100 carats were cut to make jewels for the British Crown Jewels and the British Royal family's collection.

US Senator Strom Thurmond of South Carolina set a filibuster record in the U.S. Senate on August 19, 1957. He spoke for 24 hours and 18 minutes.

North Dakota is the only state that has never had an earthquake

The sandwich is named for the Fourth Earl of Sandwich (1718-92), for whom sandwiches were made so that he could stay at the gambling table without interruptions for meals.

Flies take off backwards

Each square inch of human skin consists of sixty hairs Not to mention 90 oil glands And 19,000 sensory cells

Los Angeles's full name is El Pueblo de Nuestra Senora la Reina de los Angeles de Porciuncula

84% of a raw apple is water.

The two lines that connect your top lip to the bottom of your nose are known as the philtrum.

The condom - made originally of linen - was invented in the early 1500's.

Copies of the Bible and the Koran small enough to fit in a walnut shell have been written by hand

If you ate too many carrots you would turn orange

The giraffe has the highest blood pressure of any animal

The hummingbird, the loon, the swift, the kingfisher, and the grebe are all birds that cannot walk.

George Washington's favorite horse was named Lexington. Napoleon's favorite was Marengo. U.S. Grant had three favorite horses: Egypt, Cincinnati, and Jeff Davis.

The English Romantic poet Lord Byron was so devastated upon the death of his beloved Newfoundland, whose name was Boatswain, that he had inscribed upon the dog's gravestone the following: 'Beauty without vanity, strength without insolence, courage without ferocity, and all the virtues of man without his vices.'

Capsaicin, which makes hot peppers 'hot' to the human mouth, is best neutralized by casein, the main protein found in milk.

Most mammals are color-blind

Dismal first-year sales of famous products: Liquid Paper--sold 1,200 bottles first year

The average person releases nearly a pint of intestinal gas by flatulence every day. Most is due to swallowed air. The rest is from fermentation of undigested food.

The hundred billionth Crayola crayon was Perriwinkle Blue

The six official languages of the United Nations are: English, French, Arabic, Chinese, Russian and Spanish

The vintage date on a bottle of wine indicates the year the grapes were picked, not the year of bottling.

Talmudists believe Adam and Eve resided in paradise a mere 12 hours before they were kicked out

German Shepherds bite humans more than any other breed of dog.

Frogs hop faster than toads

Every minute in the US six people turn 17

There are more insects in ten square feet of a rain forest than there are people in Manhattan

A person cannot taste food unless it is mixed with saliva

The average person releases nearly a pint of intestinal gas by flatulence every day. Most is due to swallowed air. The rest is from fermentation of undigested food.

The hundred billionth Crayola crayon was Perriwinkle Blue

The six official languages of the United Nations are: English, French, Arabic, Chinese, Russian and Spanish

The vintage date on a bottle of wine indicates the year the grapes were picked, not the year of bottling.

Talmudists believe Adam and Eve resided in paradise a mere 12 hours before they were kicked out

German Shepherds bite humans more than any other breed of dog.

Frogs hop faster than toads

Every minute in the US six people turn 17

There are more insects in ten square feet of a rain forest than there are people in Manhattan

A person cannot taste food unless it is mixed with saliva

The USSR set off the largest nuclear explosion in history, detonating a 50 megaton bomb (2600 times the Hiroshima bomb) in an atmospheric test over the Novaya Zemla Islands, October 30 1961.

Mexico City is sinking at a rate of 6 to 8 inches a year because it's built on top of an underground reservoir. Wells are drawing out more and more water for the city's growing population of more than 15 million people.

Stevie Wonder endorses all contracts with his fingerprint

Kotex was first manufactured as bandages, during W.W.I.

In 1991 Procter & Gamble won a $75,000 lawsuit against James & Linda Newton who were found responsible for spreading rumors that the company supported the Church of Satan. The two were distributors of Amway Products, a competitor of Proctor & Gamble.

A lump of pure gold the size of a matchbox can be flattened into a sheet the size of a tennis court.

The hummingbird, the loon, the swift, the kingfisher, and the grebe are all birds that cannot walk.

In 1935, Jesse Owens set six track and field world records in less than one hour

Only 30% of humans can flare their nostrils

A newborn expels its own body weight in waste every 60 hours

'Second string,' meaning 'replacement or backup,' comes from the middle ages. An archer always carried a second string in case the one on his bow broke.

Even though they broke up 25 years ago, the Beatles continue to sell more records each year than the Rolling Stones.

The typical hen lays 19 dozen eggs a year

Acting was once considered to be evil, and the actors in the first English play to be performed in America were arrested

The ship, the Queen Elizabeth 2, should always be written as QE2 QEII is the actual queen

Men get hiccups more often than women

Kermit the Frog is left-handed

There are nine rooms on a 'Clue' game board. A forfeited baseball game is recorded as a 9-0 score.

John Wilkes Booth's brother once saved the life of Abraham Lincoln's son

Cojo, the 1st gorilla born in captivity, was born at the Columbus Zoo, in Ohio, in 1956 and weighed 3 1/4 pounds.

Comedian/actor Billy Crystal portrayed Jodie Dallas, the first openly gay main character on network television on ABC's Soap, which aired from 1977 to 1981.

The song 'Happy Birthday to You' was originally written by sisters Mildred and Patty Hill as 'Good Morning to You.' The words were changed and it was published in 1935.

Louis XIV of France once had an unfortunate experience while putting on a sock--his toe fell off

The extended right arm of the Statue of Liberty is 42 feet long.

Currently the world's tallest building is the Petronas Tower in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. The Petronas Towers measures 1,483ft.

Of all the words in the English language, the word 'set' has the most definitions.

Rubber is an important ingredient on the manufacture of bubble-gum

The 1st presidential news conference filmed for TV was in 1955. Eisenhower was the president.

The characters of Homer, Marge, Lisa, and Maggie were given the same first names as Simpsons creator Matt Groening's real-life father, mother, and two sisters.

It takes 35 to 65 minks to produce the average mink coat. The numbers for other types of fur coats are: beaver - 15; fox - 15 to 25; ermine - 150; chinchilla - 60 to 100.

Forty percent of women experience nocturnal orgasms.

Light travels at the rate of 186,200 miles a second.

In the Congo, one must be very careful not to utter the name of anyone who is out fishing Certain Congolese think you put such a whammy on the named native that he won't catch anything but flies

In her films, Shirley Temple always had 56 curls in her hair

A dog in Japan says 'wan-wan'

The three best-known western names in China: Jesus Christ, Richard Nixon, and Elvis Presley.

If you add up the numbers 1-100 consecutively (1+2+3+4+5 etc) the total is 5050.

Britain's first escalator was installed in Harrods in 1878.

One of every seven people in the United States is Hispanic.

Before the Chinese takeover of Tibet in 1952, 25 percent of the males in the country were Buddhist monks

All pet hamsters are descended from a single female wild golden hamster found with a litter of 12 young in Syria in 1930.

The gorilla's scientific name is 'Gorilla gorilla gorilla'

Men have more blood than women Men have 15 gallons versus 875 gallons for women

The brother of Popeye's girlfriend Olive was named Castor Oyl

There are more insects in ten square feet of a rain forest than there are people in Manhattan

More steel in the US is used to make bottle caps than to manufacture automobile bodies

The name of the dog on Cracker Jack boxes is 'Bingo'

Percentage of Africa that is wilderness--28% Percentage of North America that is wilderness--38%

Dismal first-year sales of famous products: Scrabble--sold 532 first year.

The color purple was a sign of great rank in Ancient Rome

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